§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list(a) all those people he has appointed since taking office, (b) the offices to which he has appointed them, (c) the period of office for which they have each been appointed and (d) the political party allegiance or membership of each of their appointees and the date of appointment where this is known. [18556]
§ Mr. MilburnMost of the information requested by the hon. Member is collected by the Department but it will take a little time to assemble. I will write to him immediately it is available. However, we will be unable to provide information on the political allegiance or party membership of candidates for National Health Service appointments as this is not collected by the Department. We will be able to provide information on the political activity of candidates, as defined by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Commissioner's guidance requires candidates for appointment to NHS boards to make a declaration about any significant political activity in the last 5 years. Significant political activity is defined as activities that are a matter of public record such as office holding in, public speaking in support of, or candidature on behalf of a political party (or affiliated body) which fields candidates at local or national elections.